I saw something called a March Madness devotional the other day. I don’t know if it is supposed to help you tame down your yelling at the TV or curb your choice language when your bracket crumbles (not that any of Hope’s listeners would do that…) or maybe it offered something a little more helpful. But it did start me thinking about why such things get written. What is it about March Madness that we go mad for?

Why do we care?

Why do we care so much? It is estimated that Americans will bet about $15.5 billion on this year’s NCAA tournament (right there is your madness). We care with our money. And we care with our time. Many of us will be checking scores during the day and staying up late watching games at night. None of us have a chance of actually participating in these games. It’s been a long time since most of us were twenty. Or tall. Or athletic…. So what gets us so involved?

Unity

I’m sure there are many reasons, but let’s talk about two. I think one reason is that we feel involved. We feel like we are a part of the games, and we feel like we are participating with other fans even if it is only through the television or our phone. Remember how dreary it was to watch the Olympics during Covid with no fans in the stands? A sense of unity and togetherness is important for us not just for how we feel, but for how much we care about something. If this were a March Madness devotional, I might mention here that perhaps the Bible, in telling the body of Christ to work together in unity, is on to something.

Hope

A second reason we care so much is because of the power of hope. We know how strong hope is. We hope for all kinds of things. A better job, better health, better relationships. And at this time of the year, we hold out hope that the other team will lose and our team will win, even if we are a fifteen-point underdog. And if not this year, then next. We long for, we hope for, something that sometime might happen. I understand there are still Cleveland Browns fans.

But because many of you will be disappointed again this year when your team doesn’t win, I want to leave you with a bit of real hope. The Bible speaks of a sure hope, a real hope based not on something that might happen, but something that did happen. Jesus Christ has already made it possible, by His death and resurrection, for us to know and have a relationship with God, to have our sins forgiven, and to spend eternity with Him.

If your team wins this year, celebrate and enjoy the happiness that brings, but even more, remember to rejoice in the victory won by Jesus for you.